


Inferno

by avengingblackthorns



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Minor Violence, Mutant Powers, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:41:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengingblackthorns/pseuds/avengingblackthorns
Summary: Having spent her life in hiding in a nuclear wasteland, the last thing she could have ever expected was Tony Stark showing up at her door to recruit her.Set post-NYC battle and tells the story right up to Infinity War.





	1. Prologue

**April 26th 1986 - Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR**

 

_She had known something was wrong._

_There had been a nagging feeling in the back of her mind for weeks. That nagging feeling had now progressed to a sinking, nauseous feeling in her stomach. One that told her she was too late. The vision had only just come to her in her sleep, jolting her awake in a cold sweat. It was not as strong as the others and was uncharacteristically blurry which was worrying enough in itself. Leaping out of the bed across the small dimly lit room, she threw open the tattered curtains. Waiting for a moment with bated breath, she heard a faint bang in the distance as she kept her eyes trained on the nuclear plant located about a kilometre away. Then, her worst fears were confirmed._

_A second, more powerful explosion blew through the roof of one of the experiment buildings and fire ravaged the structure. Bluish debris and embers shot into the air, subsequently setting nearby buildings and vehicles alight. This was it - this was how her vision had begun, but in frightening reality this time. With her heart lodged in her throat, she grabbed a throw blanket from the bed and wrapped up her baby girl as gently as she possibly could in such a wicked hurry. She was already dressed as she had been every night when she went to bed - her visions indicating she wouldn’t have much time when it happened. There was no time for collecting belongings, though that wasn’t an issue given that she didn’t have much to her name anyway. Besides the 2-week-old sleeping peacefully in her arms._

 

_Darting through the front door of the one-room bungalow, she sprinted across the surrounding fields and sparse patches of forest until her calves burned. Not daring to stop for a breath, her breathing came in choking gasps and her heart was pounding so erratically in her ears that she almost didn’t hear the alarm wailing in the distance. With a newfound sense of urgency, she willed her legs to carry her to the nearest town. Realisation that it wasn’t the exertion causing her to cough dawned on her and she used the part of her headscarf that was wrapped around her neck to cover her mouth and nose from the radioactive fumes beginning to leak into the atmosphere. Spotting the glow of the streetlights in the distance, hot tears began to spill down her face. She wasn’t sure if it was from relief or from trauma. Either way, she knew she would never see her baby girl again._

_Her feet slapped painfully against the cracked pavement as she tried to slow her sprint in front of one of the nearest houses. It was small, but significantly roomier than what she had called home. Pressing a chaste kiss to the child’s forehead, she set her down on the doorstep and rapped her knuckles frantically against the door until she heard it shake on its hinges. Disappearing down the street and back into the darkness, she swayed uneasily on her feet as she felt suddenly sickened_

 

_Back on the doorstep, her harsh knocking had awoken the child. An elderly woman - looking rightfully displeased to be rudely awakened at 1:30am - was taken aback when she opened the door to find a small pair of fiery orange eyes staring up at her._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is going to be a working title for now, hopefully something better comes to mind. same goes for the terribly vague summary! this is (surprisingly only) my first marvel fic and i expect that it will be about 6 or 7 chapters long. let me know what you think! ♡
> 
> follow me on tumblr: hawkinstarks.tumblr.com ♡


	2. The Wasteland

“So, why exactly are we landing in the middle of nowhere?”

 

Tony flicked a couple of switches and the humming of the quinjet’s engine died before he swiveled his seat to face Clint.

 

“Because I have decided the Avengers should go into sheep farming in lieu of world-saving. Not as profitable but there's a significantly lower risk of death.” He swallowed as he debated whether or not to tell them in case this spontaneous pit-stop didn’t go to plan. Still, he couldn’t resist a sarcastic comment first. It was a knee-jerk reaction to him. Letting out a short sigh, he addressed the expectant faces all turned towards the cockpit where he stood.

“I’ve found a potential addition to the team. It’ll take some negotiating so I’m not getting my hopes up.”

 

“Can we get more information on that?” Steve questioned.

 

“Nope, be back whenever” Tony called over his shoulder as he exited the quinjet. “Oh and Romanoff, back up please.”

Natasha followed diligently leaving Clint and Steve in muttered conversation with Bruce and Thor. She was handed a mask to cover her nose and mouth before she scanned the area, eerie silence and trees on the outskirts of a forest swaying in the wind. It was a reinforced habit she had learned in her training; always assess your surroundings for any possible dangers.

 

“Care to fill me in?” she asked raising a brow at him.

 

“We’re in Ukraine. Beyond this forest here is the town of Pripyat which was destroyed by the Chernobyl disaster. S.H.I.E.L.D suspected there was someone with potential superhuman abilities around here so, naturally, I stole their files and found her myself” Tony explained with a shrug of his shoulder. Completely glossing over the fact that Tony had stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D, Natasha nodded pleased at the prospect of another female joining the team. Not that she couldn’t handle herself among the men - on the complete contrary. She could take them all on at hand-to-hand combat without even breaking a sweat but if the testosterone levels on the team got any stronger, she may hurt someone.

 

“Got any intel on her?” she pressed whilst soundlessly navigating through the undergrowth on the forest floor like a cat. The forest looked seemingly normal from the outskirts but within it, growth of certain plant species had been completely stunted while others had completely overgrown at an unnatural rate. Even more unusually, the ground was almost entirely bare. Grass had failed to grow for many years and the soil had become dry, cracked and barren.

 

“Next to nothing aside from a location” he answered honestly. Saying it aloud made him realise just how futile the mission seemed but Tony Stark was nothing if not stubborn and determined.

 

“You’re really taking the leap of faith on this one, huh?” Natasha’s amusement was hidden by her mask. She also knew the chances of his plan being successful were slim to none.

 

“I just have a feeling this could be big. Hell, if S.H.I.E.L.D can barely compile enough information to get a profile on her, she must be something” Tony tried to reason.

 

“Or maybe she just doesn’t want to be found.” Natasha’s words hung in the air as they made their way through the forest. She figured it must have made him think since Tony always gets the last word. _Always._

 

Finding themselves at a desolate little shack among a clearing in the trees, Tony wasted no time in knocking on the front door whilst Natasha adjusted the holsters that hung on her hips. She noticed fingers hesitantly wrapping around the heavy curtains on the window in her peripheral vision. She was highly doubtful that the girl would be happy to have visitors. To her surprise, they heard the several locks on the door unlatching and Tony shot her a hopeful look. After a moment’s pause, the door opened a crack and half of a face peered through the gap.

“Who are you?” she asked in a clipped tone. Natasha noted the lack of an accent in her voice.

 

“It’s okay, we’re not here to harm you. My name is Tony and this is Natasha. We just want to talk” Tony said putting on his negotiating voice and holding up his hands in a reassuring way. The girl didn’t seem reassured in the slightest as she eyed the weapons on Natasha’s belt.

 

“Americans,” she rose her voice in anger. “Are you from the government?” The door began to shut on the eye glaring at them.

“God, no!” Tony said quickly. “I’m a businessman and Natasha, well...”

 

“Accounts” she interjected casually. The eye’s skepticism never wavered and then it disappeared behind worn wood. Tony sighed at the closed door and decided to resort to Plan B. Negotiating was not his strong point but he knew how to rile people up when he wanted to.

 

“Alright, so you don’t wanna talk. I had a pretty good job offer for you. Your powers would’ve really come in handy w-“

 

Before he could blink, she had him shoved up against the inner wall of the dwelling with her hand over his masked mouth. Natasha reached for her belt until Tony’s hand came up to stop her. No need to scare a startled animal more than necessary.

 

“How do you know about my powers?” she hissed, leaning close enough for Tony to see the fear swimming in her eyes. They noticed the absence of a mask covering her face despite living in a radioactive ghost town. If she hadn’t asked that question, her indifference to the radiation would have been a dead giveaway that she was who they were looking for. She looked younger than Tony had expected and his heart lurched with regret. But his plan was working.

 

“I didn’t,” he started and she lowered her hand but kept the arm that pinned him to the wall firmly across his chest. “Listen, I heard that some government bodies were looking for you and I wanted to find you before they did. I have put together a team of elite superhumans and you would be safe with us rather than being a sitting duck here.”

Her eyes flicked between the two but Tony never looked away from her, trying to will her to trust him. He knew it was a long-shot but it wasn’t a shot he was going to pass up.

 

“How can I trust you?” she asked quietly as her glare intensified.

 

“The team is waiting just beyond the trees. You’re welcome to come meet them and make your decision. I’m not pressuring you into coming with us, I just want you to know it is the safest option,” he bargained. Seeing her resolve shift, she lowered her arm and nodded. Without a word, she followed the two strangers but kept her hand close to the knife concealed in her belt. It was second nature for her to be apprehensive and to assume that everything was a threat until proven otherwise.

 

She had spotted the looming presence of the huge quinjet the second she walked through the trees and continued to stare at it until she had reached the lowering door. She was equal parts impressed and uneasy. Her hand snapped to her hip and felt the cool handle of the knife under her coat when the door lowered to the ground with a bang that seemed defeaning in the midst of the silence. Tony and Natasha walked up the ramp but she hesitated for a beat. When she realised she wasn’t going to get jumped by a secret army in riot gear, she slowly followed. Glancing around at the four men who sat looking towards her, she felt unnerved though her face didn’t show it. Her gaze was steely as ever and her shoulders were pulled back as she stood to attention. She’d be damned if some supposed ‘superhumans’ were going to undermine her within seconds of meeting her.

 

“I’d like you to meet Steve,” Tony removed his mask to introduce the man with the blonde hair, blue eyes and ridiculous patriotic costume. _Pfft, Americans._

 

“Bruce,” the geeky pedestrian who she failed to believe was a superhero.

 

“Clint,” apparently a bow and arrow qualifies as a superpower.

 

“and Thor” a gigantic, muscular guy with flowing blonde locks that looked more like a surfboard model than anything.

 

The ‘superhumans’ all nodded their greetings.

 

“So, what do you propose?” she asked crossing her arms and turning her attention back to Tony.

 

“You come back to New York with us, see how life is with us and if you don’t like what you see, we’ll drop you back to your little hovel over there and pretend it never happened.”

 

“Give me a minute.” She exited the quinjet and the others exchanged looks. After a short while, she reappeared at the end of the ramp with a duffel bag thrown over her shoulder and sat herself down next to Natasha. She fastened the belt around her before looking up at a silently pleased Tony.

 

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it seems pretty mysterious and confusing now but you will find out more in the next chapter if you hang around to find out. let me know what you think so far! ♡
> 
> follow me on tumblr: hawkinstarks.tumblr.com ♡


	3. Radioactive

Watching intently through the windscreen of the quinjet, she saw the sparkling glass and brick compound as it came into view. Her grip did not slacken from the concealed knife and she almost whipped it from her belt in Natasha’s direction when she leaned in to interrupt her thoughts.

 

“Brand new Avengers Headquarters. It was only completed three weeks ago.” She eyed Natasha steadily then her gaze returned to the enormous structure as they landed smoothly and taxied into the hangar. One by one, the ‘Avengers’ filed out of the jet and Tony called for her to follow him. His voice echoed around the cavernously large hangar and she noticed various other types of aircraft lined up along both sides. This was by no means a small-scale operation they were running. Her grip loosened. Not wanting to get lost, she quickened her pace to catch up with them. They were all surprisingly tall.

 

Following Tony while the others disappeared off to change out of their suits, he led her through the main building which was not much smaller than the hangar. The high ceilings seemed miles away and the white marble floors stretched across every square inch right up to a glass and burnished steel elevator. She hadn’t seen much outside of her own humble shack but even she knew that the construction of a building of this calibre must be colossally expensive. And she had only seen the entryway.

 

“J.A.R.V.I.S?” Tony called out as he stalked towards the elevator before jabbing the up button. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she opened her mouth to say something but she did not get the chance.

 

“Welcome back, sir. How may I help?” a voice said but no one else was around.

 

“Tell Banner to meet me in the lab as soon as possible” Tony replied to the voice as he stepped into the elevator. She tentatively followed, whirling around to confirm that they were alone.

 

“Right away, sir” the voice said again, this time in the elevator. How was it following them? Was there a team member with the power of invisibility that she had not met?

 

“What was that?” she asked, clutching the knife so hard that her knuckles turned white.

 

“Oh how rude of me, I forgot to introduce you. That was J.A.R.V.I.S. He’s an artificial intelligence system that I created. Say hi, J.A.R.V.I.S” Tony explained though she still looked dumbfounded. He couldn’t blame her, he very much doubted that she’d had any experience with modern technology in the slightest while in hiding. The thought gave him a slight headache as he mentally added her to the list of technologically incompetent that he would have to deal with, along with Steve and Thor.

 

“I apologise, Mr. Stark. I ran facial recognition but it appears your guest is not in my database” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice politely replied in what she thought to be a British accent.

 

“Tell him your name, kid” Tony offered gently. To his dismay, she stared straight ahead at the platinum doors and shook her head stubbornly as they parted.

 

“Not yet.” He figured he was pushing his luck but he still let out a short sigh of defeat through his nose. Leading her down the pristine corridor, the doors to the laboratory automatically slid open for him and the antiseptic smell caused her to wrinkle her nose. That was the only thing she could possibly turn her nose up at in the state-of-the-art lab, though. Everything glistened with unused, shiny newness down to the last scalpel. Moments later, Bruce burst through the doors.

 

“What do you need me for?” he asked Tony almost breathlessly before he noticed her standing there. His lips pressed into a line and he gave her a quick wave.

 

“With her permission, of course, I want to run a few tests. Make sure she’s healthy...” Tony trailed off as he turned his back and strolled aimlessly around the lab.

 

“And?” Bruce pried, knowing that there was more of a reason than that. Whirling back around, Tony looked at her.

 

“And to see what she can do” he finished hesitantly and he immediately saw her demeanor shift.

 

“So, you brought me all the way here just so I could be your lab rat?” she accused as she folded her arms. Immediately, Tony’s hands shot up in surrender and Bruce watched the unfolding situation uneasily.

 

“Hear me out,” Tony started. “It is protocol to run general health tests on each team member, they’ve all had theirs. Blood tests, reflex check, the usual.”

 

Sensing that he was already failing to convincing her to co-operate, Tony was about to try another negotiating method until Bruce stepped in.

 

“Listen, I know all of this must seem completely crazy to you right now. It even still seems crazy to me. But if you were living in that area seemingly unfazed by the radioactivity for so long, then I would really like to find out why because I _have_ been affected by radioactivity.”

 

That was it. Seismic shift. Tony saw it in her eyes and her arms dropped to her side. He knew when she hadn’t moved her arm for hours that she had come prepared for a fight and now, she had given up fighting for just a moment.

 

“You have?” she asked in quiet disbelief.

 

 

 

 

After listening to Bruce’s story, she felt less like an alien in the lab and begrudgingly agreed to a blood test. She decided she could trust him as she watched him busy himself preparing a slide to examine under the microscope. Tony had left earlier to give them some privacy once he felt that she might confide in Bruce. Twisting the lenses on the microscope that she was sure cost more than everything she had ever owned, Bruce settled on the highest focus lens before opening the diaphragm to let the light flood the stage, illuminating the slide with her tissue sample on it.

 

“Oh my god...” Bruce breathed as he stared through the eyepiece.

 

“What is it?” she questioned nervously. Not once in her life had she been to the doctor so she was completely oblivious to just how different her DNA might be compared to that of any normal person. Instead of answering, Bruce just ushered her to take a look though she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to be looking for. When she looked at him indifferently after examining the sample, he twisted a smaller dial on the lens to zoom in on the slide.

 

“See those little circular things? Those are your cells. The human body is made up of tons of cells. The difference is that yours are dividing at an incredibly rapid rate. Even Cap’s cells aren’t like that. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

 

Unsure what he meant exactly, she glanced through the eyepiece again and saw that they were- in fact - dividing very quickly in front of her eyes.

 

“Regular human cells shouldn’t keep doing that once they are on the slide,” he said looking at her unwaveringly. “Plus, the cell membrane is a lot thicker than usual. Do you...do you have regenerative powers of any kind?”

 

Bruce thought he had pushed it too far. He winced in anticipation as he waited for her to lose her cool because he asked such a personal question but she just shrugged her shoulders.

 

“Not that I know of.”

 

Deciding to be brave and push it one step further, he shut off the light on the microscope and turned on his stool to face her.

 

“This whole process would be a lot easier if you could just tell us what you can do. I get that we’re just a room full of strangers to you, but none of us are here to hurt you. We want to help you,” he told her cautiously. He still expected her to lash out at him. Granted, she was gripping the station counter ferociously but her face wore a mask of contemplation. “I’ll give you a moment.”

 

Once he left the room, she let out a long, heaving sigh until her lungs were empty and hung her head low. Why was she here? What was she _thinking_? Leaving her isolated shack was the biggest mistake she had ever made. She had been found, she could never go back now. Sure, Tony said they would return her and forget all about this. But she couldn’t trust his word. Shaking her head free of inner turmoil, a soft tinkling noise caught her attention. Straightening up, she reached under the neckline of her thickly knit sweater and tugged out the thin silver chain. The two small, tarnished metal discs made her rethink her situation.

What was she supposed to do if she went back: spend the rest of her life - however long it may be - in hiding again? It was in the interest of her own protection but even she had to admit it was a lonely, unfulfilling life. At least here, she might have some semblance of a normal life. Be able to go outside without looking over your shoulder every five seconds to make sure no one is following you. Go out and socialise and actually make friends rather than live a life of total solitude. These people were all living openly with their abilities (although she had yet to discover what they were) and they all seemed fine. The government was not coming knocking on the door of the Avenger’s compound looking to lock them up and experiment on them. Surely anything here was better than her so-called life she had lived until now, right? Turning on her heel to leave the lab, the metal counter was left darkened in the wake of her fingertips.

 

 

 

“I don’t know, Tony. She still seems pretty freaked out,” Bruce said in a worried tone as Tony handed him a steaming cup of coffee.

 

“I say we have a gathering to welcome her, perhaps even a feast” Thor suggested, gesturing an arm towards where they stood in the kitchen. Clint snorted from his position stretched out on the plush sofa in the adjoining living space.

 

“Yeah, okay. Hey stranger, we’ve torn you away from your life as a hermit to throw you this extravagant party complete with tons of strange people! Surprise, we’re all freaks too!”

 

Natasha’s chuckle at Thor’s inability to understand sarcasm died in her throat when the young woman walked into the room. Steve shot a disapproving look at a guilty-looking Clint, knowing she must have heard him. The room was painfully silent as they all sat looking at her anxiously. Tony’s heart sank; she had definitely come to demand to be brought home.

 

“My name is Katarina Vichenkya. I want to be an Avenger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay i know the compound was built after Sokovia but for the sake of the story, let’s pretend it was built after the battle in New York lol. also forgive my attempt at biology terminology, it’s been a while since i’ve studied it haha. despite that, let me know what you think! 
> 
> follow me on tumblr: hawkinstarks.tumblr.com ♡


	4. Into the Flames

Drifting gradually into consciousness, Katarina’s eyelids parted and she shot up straight in the bed with her heart in her mouth when she did not recognise her surroundings. Recollecting that she was in the bedroom at the Avengers compound that she had been assigned by Tony the previous night, she slumped back against the headboard and expelled a relieved sigh as she glanced around the room. The decor was what she supposed was considered modest to anyone with Tony Stark’s level of wealth. It was full of large yet stylishly simplistic furniture, including an unbelievably comfortable king-sized bed where she had been effectively swallowed by the marshmallowy mattress. To say that the dingy mattress with countless broken springs that she used to sleep on paled in comparison would be a gross understatement. With a stretch of her rested limbs, she noticed it was the first time she had woken up without a crick in her neck for as long as she could remember.

“Good morning, Miss Vichenkya.”

She almost screamed when the gentle voice filtered into her room. J.A.R.V.I.S was going to take a lot of getting used to more so than anything else. She released her grip on her trusty knife that was buried under her duck feather pillow. Old habits die hard and hers hadn’t died just yet.

“Morning” she mumbled in response as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

“Mister Stark requests your attendance at this morning’s training session. Shall I tell him that you are on your way?” J.A.R.V.I.S questioned and she looked the alarm clock on her bedside locker. 6am? She silently hoped that being a morning person was not a requirement to become an Avenger because that was not a trait that she possessed.

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

Dressed in training gear that she had found in her fully-stocked wardrobe, J.A.R.V.I.S brought her down a level in the elevator to the training room. It didn’t exude the same modern elegance like the rest of the compound. Instead of marble floors and glass dividers, the walls were solid concrete and the floor was almost completely covered in spongy black training mats. It still maintained the high ceilings like elsewhere, however, there was a steel beam positioned just below ceiling level where Natasha stood. Without hesitation, she flung herself from the beam and seemed to free-fall for an eternity before she landed with slightly bent knees without so much as a quiet thud.

“That’s why they call her Black Widow. She’s got the grace of a spider dangling from a web.” Tony said as he strolled over to join her, noticing that she was staring incredulously at Natasha. “That, and she can kill you in an instant.”

She didn’t doubt that for one moment as Natasha had already busied herself throwing knives at targets and she hit every fatal point with the tip of the blade effortlessly. She made a mental note not to cross her. And to befriend her.

“Glad to see you didn’t change your mind during the night,” Tony said to her sincerely and all she could do was nod. He turned on his heel and started to walk further into the room where the others were training. “We’ll give you some demos first and then, we’ll have you start your hand-to-hand combat training.”

Bruce was in the corner lifting weights near a rack of expensive-looking equipment hanging on the wall. It held everything ranging from pocket daggers to axes and spears. Her preference had already gravitated towards a pair of gleaming katanas. Natasha was now waving a knife tauntingly in Clint’s direction as he rolled his sleep-heavy eyes and stifled a yawn. She was glad not everyone was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at this unlawful hour. In total contrast, Thor was energetically sparring with Steve on the other side of the room. They were well-matched fighters and neither of them could land a punch on the other. Either that or they were not trying to. She wasn’t quite sure how fight training worked but she somehow could not bring herself to tear her attention away from the giant, muscular men. Besides, this counted as a demo - right? Following a quick tour of the room and a couple of demonstrations, she felt ready to give it a go herself.

“Rogers!” Tony called out and waved over Steve who immediately stood to attention like a disciplined soldier. “Start giving Kat here a little combat training, will you?”

“Don’t call me that” she grumbled with a glare and Steve nodded.

“Let’s get started, shall we?” he said, leading her over to a training mat. She noticed he was not wearing his comical super-suit this time and - somehow - he looked even more distracting. Anyone else wearing a plain grey tee and a pair of sweatpants wouldn’t look anything extraordinary but not Steve Rogers. When you’re 220 pounds of pure muscle, every shirt becomes a skin-tight shirt.

“Okay, we’re gonna start with your stance. You should always try to stand with your weight mostly on your dominant leg to keep your balance and your fists up like this,” he explained as he gently pulled her arms up to bend at the elbow and protect her face. His eyes were strikingly blue as he watched her shift her feet into position. She understandably had not had much contact with many people in her lifetime but she was sure even by frequent socialisers’ standards that all of the Avengers were considered well above average in terms of looks. Steve was by no means an exception.

“Good. Now, try some punches” he said, flattening his hands just in front of his face. Maintaining her stance like he had shown her, she swung a fist to collide into his flat palm with a smack before alternating arms. Steve’s eyebrows raised and the hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s a mean right hook you’ve got there!”

“I know” she countered, trying to hide her own smug smirk as she landed a few more punches. Steve proceeded to show her a variation of blocks and disarming techniques.

“You think you’re ready to try practice combat?” he asked while he fixed the tape wrapped around his large hands.

“Yes, let’s go” she nodded determinedly.

They squared up across from each other, Katarina hunched in her ready position prepared for his first move. Steve took it easy at first, throwing a lagging punch in her direction which she easily dodged before landing a rather hefty punch to his chest. When he realised she wasn’t holding back, neither did he. Ducking under her fists, he attempted to knock her backwards by shouldering her midsection only for his stomach to be met with her knee. Grunting before quickly straightening up, Steve blocked a fist aiming for his face. Just as he was about to hold onto her fist, it disappeared from his grasp and she dove beneath his legs with ease given the height difference. Momentarily blind-sided, it gave Katarina enough time to swiftly kick the backs of his knees to bring him to the ground with a loud thump. Steve was quick but she was quicker and before he knew it, he lay flat on his stomach with the newbie sitting on his back with his wrists pinned between his shoulder blades. Stunned silence fell over the training room as everyone had stopped to watch them.

“Oh, did I forget to tell you? I already have combat training.” This time, she did not even try to keep the smugness from seeping into her voice as she lowered her face near Steve’s disbelieving one. She swung her leg off of him and stood, offering him a hand. “My bad.”

He took her hand and his blue eyes pierced hers, a sense of wonderment and cheekiness in them. A crooked yet impressed smirk graced his face.

“It sure has been a long time since a woman has beaten me in a fight like that, let me tell ya” he said with a low chuckle, fondly remembering how Agent Peggy Carter had put him in his place more than a few times in the forties. Katarina liked the fact that he accepted his defeat graciously and did not try to act all macho and shout for a rematch.

“Damn Cap, you just got schooled!” Clint hollered while the others clapped and voiced their praise.

 

 

“Invisibility?” Bruce asked. Katarina shook her head.

“Superhuman-strength?” Clint tried. Another shake of her head.

“Telekinesis?” Natasha questioned. Katarina furrowed her brow.

“What does that mean?” she asked in confusion. Her English wasn’t quite up to scratch.

“You know, moving things with your mind?” Natasha offered.

“Oh, then no” Katarina answered. They were sat in leather office chairs around the large glass table in the briefing room attempting to guess what her abilities were but she wasn’t giving them an inch.

“C’mon guys, leave her alone” Tony said striding into the room before something prodded her sharply in the side and she yelped. Tony glanced at her face, waiting. Instead of turning green, she just swore in Ukrainian. “Well, she doesn’t hulk out either.”

“Lady Katarina clearly does not want to inform us of her abilities just yet. We should respect her decision rather than poke it from her,” Thor interjected, eyeing Tony steadily who just rolled his eyes in response as he dropped the pen he was holding. She offered Thor as gracious nod which he returned with an understanding smile. _God, must they all be so handsome?_

“Okay, back to the task at hand. S.H.I.E.L.D has informed us that there is a HYDRA sleeper agent based upstate that they have had under surveillance,” Tony announced walking to stand at the head of the table. “They need more information so tonight is just a recon mission. I think we should bring our newbie, Kick-Ass Kat, along.”

She didn’t know what any of that meant.

“I agree, it’s a straight-forward mission” Steve added and Katarina noticed his failure to hide his amusement at the nickname, even if it was at his expense.

“I’m okay with that” she confirmed with a short nod.

“Great, wheels up at twenty-one-hundred tonight.”

 

 

Sitting cross-legged on her bed, Katarina reached underneath it and pulled out the ring binder she went back to retrieve before she left Pripyat. With a heavy sigh, she flitted through the files preserved in plastic pockets until she reached the sepia-toned picture that tugged on her heart strings every time.

“Mama” she whispered, running her fingers over the photograph that had become crinkled and worn with age. A sudden rage bubbled up inside her as she scanned through the paperwork she had read a thousand times over. If something were to happen the files, she was certain she would be able to replicate them word for word from memory. Every detail was burned into her brain, the good and the unimaginably bad. Her blood coursed through her veins in anger and tears involuntarily clouded her vision. Everything she had hated about herself for her entire life, everything that caused her to be an outcast - and even an outlaw at one point - came flooding back to her uninvited. The rush of swirling thoughts in her mind almost drowned out the light knock on her door. When she didn’t answer, she heard the door open causing her to snap the folder shut. Steve stood at the door cautiously.

“Hey, I know you’re not keen on telling us what you can do but…it might be beneficial both for us and for yourself if you tell us. It’d stop the team badgering you with questions constantly, for sure.”

Deep down, she knew he was just trying to be nice. Trying to help her ease into life here. But her emotions were blinded by her white-hot harboured rage and Steve was in the firing line.

“What would you know?” she snapped. “How could you possibly know what this is like for me? You don’t have any idea what it’s like to have your life ripped away from you!”

Her breath came seething through her flared nostrils, chest heaving with her temper. If Steve noticed her irises glow, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he kept his voice level as he regarded her.

“Come find me when you want to hear my story. Until then, don’t assume what I have or haven’t lost.”

 

Regret gnawed at her insides as she sat in the quinjet across from Steve later on that night. Despite her being completely out of line, he still watched her with concern. He knew whatever was in that folder had upset her and she wasn’t fond of divulging information about herself. However, they were on a mission and everything else had to be left at the door for the meantime.

“Here, put this in your ear” Steve instructed her as he walked over to put something in her hand. She looked at the tiny device and cocked her head in confusion. “It’s a communication earpiece so you can hear us and we can hear you. You shouldn’t have to use it much this time, though.”

It felt a little uncomfortable at first but she quickly adjusted to the feeling and soon forgot she even had anything wedged in her ear canal. The quinjet descended a few feet and Tony started calling out orders. Her heart raced even though she was sure she would not be sent out on the field tonight - or even doing anything at all besides observing. Steve, Natasha and Clint were to jump onto the rooftop of the warehouse and carry out the mission inside whilst the others landed nearby ready to back them up should the need arise.

“Get ready to jump in 3…2…” Tony counted down as the quinjet dropped lower in the sky until the flat concrete roof was visible under the open door. Suddenly, the others jumped and gracefully rolled onto the roof below and the jet pulled back up, the door rising back to a closed postion. Katarina deduced that these people were crazy - jumping from moving jets without parachutes, who in their right mind does that?

It was supposed to be a straight-forward mission. Get in, get the information, get out. The simplicity quickly faded as the building became swarmed with HYDRA agents, inside and out. Katarina could see the armed agents surround the perimeter on the night vision CCTV monitors on the quinjet. Bruce muttered something along the lines of “this isn’t good” and seconds later, gunshots sounded.

“Shots fired!” Steve’s voice shouted in their earpieces.

“Yeah we gathered that, Captain Obvious!” Tony retorted. “Thor, get in there.”

Without hesitation, Thor picked up a gigantic hammer and left the jet.  _How does that saying go?_  she thought. _Don’t bring a hammer to a gun fight?_ She couldn’t see what possible use it would be to send in a guy with a hammer as back-up. She was promptly shut up when she saw him run into view on the monitor, swing the hammer ferociously by the strap and throw it to take out five agents at once. They were stacked up in a neat pile, trapped beneath the hammer.

“How’s it looking out there Thor?” Bruce asked, his eyes glued to the monitor as Thor continued to knock out agents with brute force.

“More are joining from the surrounding forest” he replied sounding almost calm for someone caught up in such a situation.

“Romanoff?” Tony asked.

“Not looking so great in here either” Natasha’s voice said followed by a grunt. “I have the drive in but it’s getting harder to hold them off - oh shit.”

“What?” the three remaining on the jet questioned in unison.

“There’s a bomb, ninety seconds ‘til it blows” she replied.

“Get out of there now, all of you!” Tony yelled suiting up, shining red and gold armour clicking around him as if by magic and he snapped a mask over his face. “ Banner and I are on our way!”

A hand pistol was planted in her lap and she was met face to mask.

“Do not leave the jet, no matter what! Shoot at the bad guys if they come near you, okay?” Tony ordered already retreating as Bruce followed him, his neck turning green and the veins there pulsated. As soon as they dismounted, Tony took to the sky leaving Bruce to grow alarmingly quick behind him, His shirt ripped at the force of the giant green muscles pushing through. He now towered over where Bruce once stood and with a grimace on his face, he let out a roar before charging towards the warehouse. Katarina sat holding the pistol limply in her hand.

“What the fuck…?” she whispered to herself, unable to digest the bizarre events that had just transpired in the past minute.

There was a lot of shouting in her earpiece, Thor and Bruce making short work of clearing the perimeter.

“Where is Nat?” Tony asked while the hourglass began to run out of sand.

“Her comms are down, I can’t locate her” Clint voice came in response as he took out the last few agents with the remainder of his arrows. Tony ordered them to get to the quinjet while he tried to find Nat. The others obeyed reluctantly but Katarina eyed the CCTV nervously. Tony hovered around the building trying to pick up a heat signature and she couldn’t take it any longer.

She took off sprinting out of the quinjet, hastily shoving the pistol into her belt. Taking a path through the trees that she hoped she wouldn’t be spotted by the others as they retreated, she only heard them calling for her as she broke into the clearing. Side-stepping fallen HYDRA agents that covered the ground haphazardly, she wrenched the warehouse door open.

“Natasha!” she screamed frantically above the eardrum-piercing alarm. She ignored Tony’s protests in her ear when he recognised her voice from inside the building. The smell of petrol hit her nose and her heart thumped nervously against her rib cage. _They had a back-up plan, we didn’t_ , she thought. She found Nat in a small office almost at the end of the warehouse, tapping her foot impatiently as she stared intensely at the monitor, data downloading far too slowly for her liking. Katarina didn’t have time to be relieved. Yanking the USB drive from it’s port, she grabbed Nat’s elbow and ran. “We gotta get out of here!”

Natasha opened her mouth to protest as she ran alongside Katarina but was interrupted by the defeaning detonation.

Bruce landed the quinjet closer just as the glass shattered outwards. Tony’s feet hit the ground, his heart sinking as he watched the interior of the warehouse become consumed by flames. Silence washed over the team as they stood solemnly, the fire roaring and crackling as it burned everything in its wake.

“Holy shit” Clint breathed and the others followed his gaze. Among the flames, the faint outline of a figure appeared in the doorway. Gradually, it grew closer and closer until Nat emerged slung across a pair of arms - unconscious but seemingly untouched by the flames. The haze from the heat dissipated and Katarina’s face emerged from the fire, walking through the doorway. None of the men moved, they couldn’t if they tried. Jaws slack and eyes staring in sheer disbelief, Katarina approached them and laid Natasha at their feet.

Her skin sparkled like embers.

And her eyes were a fiery amber glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie, i was too sick to proof read this in its entirety so there may or may not be some sprinklings of typos in there - i'm sorry! anyways, let me know what you think!
> 
> follow me on tumblr: hawkinstarks.tumblr.com ♡


	5. The Captain

Stunned. For a group of sometimes overly-chatty men, not one of them said a word. How could they? Standing (or in Natasha’s case, slumped) right in front of them were the exact two team members that they had presumed were killed in action just two minutes ago. Natasha - the veteran - had a sizable gash across her forehead and part of her hair had been singed, the scent of charred hair invading their senses. Aside from that, she appeared almost untouched by the flames. But the real spectacle stood before them. Katarina - the newcomer - had just saved the veteran. As if that in itself was not enough to impress them, she had walked through literal flames and escaped completely unscathed. No singed hair. No scorch marks or third-degree burns. No smoke inhalation. Her clothes, however, did not possess fireproof qualities and holes had been burned through the material in places while flames licked at the ankles of her jeans. She regarded them with irises that appeared as though they had a blaze trapped in them and her skin was glowing like molten lava. Casting an orange hue over their shell-shocked faces, she looked positively ethereal. Any thoughts of the mission at hand had entirely dissipated from their minds until she reached into her pocket and added to the astonishment when she threw the USB stick at their feet.

 

“Is nobody going to help her?” she asked her audience as the fiery aura she gave off seemed to dim slightly. She was met with faces of confusion until Natasha began to splutter uncontrollably from the grass and their attention eventually diverted to her. Bruce crouched at her side, aiding her as she cautiously sat up and checked her over for injuries. Even she couldn’t stop the look of surprise from crossing her face at how minimal the damage was, unaware of what had just transpired around her.

 

“So...you don’t feel that? At all?” Tony started, pointing towards the flames that continued to eat away at the fabric covering her body. Looking down at herself, she shrugged and shook her head as if it was no big deal - like she was used to being set on fire. As if it was an every day occurrence for someone to be able to walk through Armageddon like it was merely a walk through the park on a bothersomely clammy summer’s day. Thor walked back onto the quinjet and reappeared a moment later with a canteen in hand.

 

“May I?” he questioned, holding it in the air causing its contents to slosh about inside it. She nodded. Thor poured the water over the areas of her clothing where the fire still burned, extinguishing the flames. Then, he reached to his shoulders and unclipped his cape.

 

“Take this, Lady Katarina. You may keep it until we find you something warmer” he offered as he wrapped the long, flowing red material around her small frame. Her jeans had now become a pair of scorched denim hot pants (literally) around her upper thighs and the sweater that was once intact could no longer be considered an item of clothing. It did very little to clothe her. She felt a surge of affection at his chivalry and the innocence in his attempt to maintain her modesty.

 

“Thank you, Thor” she said sincerely with a small smile, met by his radiant grin.

 

“My pleasure.”

 

 

As soon as the wheels of the quinjet met asphalt back at the compound, Bruce whisked Natasha away to be given the once-over by Doctor Helen Cho despite her protests - stoically insisting that she was fine. Afterwards, they reassembled around the table in the briefing room.

 

“What’s the verdict, Romanoff?” Tony asked as he strode into the room. Natasha sat near the head of the table with her red hair pulled back into a low bun and the cut on her forehead glued shut.

 

“The worst was my forehead. Helen said I had a couple of minor burns, all superficial though,” she informed him and then shifted her gaze to Katarina. “It could’ve been a lot worse.”

 

The question hung heavily in the air, on the tip of everybody’s tongue. Unwavering in her gaze, Natasha’s voice softened.

 

“How did you do that?”

 

Katarina’s eyes immediately dropped to her hands and she fiddled with the sleeves on the new scorch-free hoodie she had put on, everyone’s gaze on her burning more than the flames ever could.

 

“Well simply put, my cells mutated due to the radiation. I don’t know the science behind it but it made me resistant to fire” she explained with a shy shrug. Bruce couldn’t help but gape with interest.

 

“So...how did you even find that out, that you were fire-proof?” Clint questioned, unable to stop the sheer curiosity that was bursting at the seams to get out of him. Katarina just gave him a cheeky smile.

 

“That’s a story for another day.”

 

Clint mumbled something about her and her mysteriousness before Tony cut the question and answer session short and congratulated her on her outstanding efforts. Without her, the entire mission would have been a bust and they would have given away that they had been tracking Hydra. Not to mention, they had come far too close to losing a teammate. As everyone filed out of the room, said teammate gently grabbed Katarina’s wrist to hold her back.

 

“Thank you, seriously. What I did back there was foolish and reckless. You saved my life” Natasha said sincerely.

 

“That’s a bit of a stretch” Katarina said modestly as she shook her head.

 

“No, it’s not. When the bomb detonated, it threw me forward and knocked me out cold. I would’ve been kindling if it weren’t for you” Natasha stared firmly, the intensity of her statement causing a short cough to wheeze from her lungs.

 

“I’m just glad you’re okay” Katarina replied truthfully. She supposed that was one way to befriend someone; save them from a burning building. Though her method seemed a little extreme. As she rounded the corner, she almost bumped headlong into Steve who was leaning against the outer wall with his arms crossed. He straightened up when she involuntarily let out a muted noise of surprise.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to apologise for being so cold to you earlier. I know its not easy being taken from your own world and thrown into this crazy lifestyle - probably better than anyone. It wasn’t fair for me to treat you like that.”

 

At first, she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. When she remembered their previous conversation, she could feel her cheeks burn slightly as her outburst came crashing back to her. What the hell was he apologising for? She was the one who was completely out of line and unnecessarily hostile to someone who has done nothing but try to help her integrate into this new world.

 

“Steve...you don’t have anything to be sorry for. I should be the one apologising. I was in a rough state of mind earlier and it wasn’t fair for  _me_  to take that out on you,” she assured him, failing to keep the embarrassment from her expression. "I'm sorry."

 

“It’s alright, honestly. And well done on your first mission” he congratulated with a genuine smile before turning on his heel and heading to the elevator, leaving her to wallow in her own shame instead of being on a high from saving somebody’s life.

 

 

 

Perched on the ergonomic chair with her elbow rested on the vanity table in front of her, Katarina bounced her foot against the carpeted floor seemingly uneasy. She was unsure as to why she was even feeling anxious having just saved a mission from the jaws of death - and on her first ever mission, no less. Then, Steve’s words rang reminiscent in her ears. His invitation to find out more about why he was part of the team. That was another thing she was unsure of. Hell, she pretty much had no idea what was going on at any given second but those were just two of the things at the top of her never-ending list of confusions. She had seen firsthand that he is incredibly skilled in the field of combat but besides that, she pretty much had no clue why that qualifies him as an Avenger. The others had called him ‘Captain’ or ‘Cap’ on the mission, though surely military rank doesn’t immediately deem anyone a superhero.

 

With her curiosity piqued, she found herself knocking on the door to Steve’s bedroom. His muffled reply of ‘come in’ came from the other side of it and as she walked in, he closed the sketchbook he had balanced in his left hand and cleared up the pencils scattered across the bench seat along the window.

 

“Oh hi, Katarina” he greeted as he stood to put his art supplies in a drawer. “What can I do for you?”

 

“You said to come to you when I wanted to hear your story” she replied, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. He didn’t say anything, he just paused for a moment before walking back towards his bed and settling himself down onto it with a quiet sigh. Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk yet? Bending over to reach underneath the bed, he slid a tattered shoebox out across the hardwood floor. Plonking the box onto his lap, he looked up at her and patted the space beside him. She closed the door and quickly sat down on the bed. The shoebox looked as though it would fall apart simply from someone breathing near it, the edges barely held together. The lid had become so flattened with wear and tear that it hardly served its purpose anymore. But the way Steve looked at the box in its sorry state told Katarina that no matter what condition the box itself was in, its contents were irreplaceable.

 

“This is a picture of me in 1935” he stated plainly, handing her a black and white image.

 

“What?” she said in confusion for what felt like the millionth time in just a few days. Looking back and forth between the image in her hand and the man in front of her, she already doubted Steve’s credibility. The image in her hand showed a frail young man with a forced smile on his bony face. She supposed he was in his late teens but given his scrawny frame, he may have been a lot younger. His shirt had to have been at least 3 sizes too big and the cuffs pooled around his hands. The sizing of his trousers were almost as bad, the ankles turned up twice to prevent him from tripping. His tie hung almost comically long down his body. Sure, the resemblance was there but that is where the similarities stopped.

 

“Believe it or not, that is me” Steve tried to reason, knowing how bizarre this back story was going to sound to her. She still gawked at the photograph in her hand, waiting for answers. He remembered that day well. It was picture day at high school and his first without his mother to spruce him up and tell him how handsome her precious boy was. Later, he had been beaten up on his way home from school. Back then, it was not an unusual occurrence for Steve. His nostalgia always came tinged with sadness.

 

“A few years after that picture was taken, World War II broke out and I wanted to fight for my country. I went to several cities to try and get enlisted but I was small and had a lot of health complications.” He backed his claims up by handing her an envelope with several forms coloured with age, all characterised by a glaring red ‘REJECTED’ stamp across them. They all read:

 

_**Name:**  Rogers, Steven Grant._

_**D.O.B:** 7/4/1918_

 

She couldn’t believe her eyes. His superpower must be immortality because there was no way the man sat beside her was 95-years-old.

 

“One day when I was attempting to register for the umpteenth time, I was approached by a German scientist who was working alongside the U.S. army for this new project - ‘Project Rebirth’ they called it.” Another piece of paper, this time a newspaper clipping from 1941. The article was accompanied with a grainy photograph of two men: one, Dr. Abraham Erskine and the other Howard Stark.

 

“Is that-“

 

“Tony’s father? Yes. He helped Erskine refine the Super Soldier Serum which Erskine offered to inject me with as a way of ensuring my place in the army. I was so desperate to do my part that I agreed. Besides, I had nothing to lose. I was a sickly kid that got bullied all the time, it was almost an easy choice.” 

 

The fact that he had said ‘almost’ didn’t go unnoticed by Katarina. Steve told her everything: from how Erskine was killed shortly after he had been injected with the serum to the formation of the Howling Commandos. How he had been handed a shield and pranced around the stage like some prized war-time show pony. How he had been given the alias Captain America.  _Explains the flashy red, white and blue garb,_ she thought retrospectively. She didn’t dare say it, though. Even she knew it was a big ask getting him to open up to a past that he had stuffed in a box and tried to forget. He also explained Hydra and the organisation’s participation in the war - information which she was grateful for seeing as how they had apparently foregone that not-so-minuscule tidbit in the briefing for the mission earlier that night.

 

“Who is that?” she asked, pointing to someone in a group photograph of the Howling Commandos. Looking over her shoulder, a sad smile crept onto his face.

 

“That’s my best friend, Bucky. He was enlisted before I was injected with the serum. He used to always finish the battles that I had created for myself and was too weak to punch my way out of” he told her with a light chuckle but the melancholy in his eyes gave him away.

 

“What happened?” she pressed. Another quiet sigh escaped his lips.

 

“We were trying to shut down as many Hydra operations as possible during the war. On a particular mission, we managed to get onto one of the freight trains they were using to transport weapons,” he paused, not once looking at her. Swallowing thickly, he continued. “I watched him fall hundreds of feet from the train into the valley between the mountains...I let him slip right through my fingers. I could’ve pulled him back up.”

 

Not used to social interaction, Katarina had no idea what was considered a conventionally acceptable response to this kind of story. It was heartbreaking, of course, but what do you even say to someone who watched their best friend fall to their death? Although the silence had only lasted a couple of seconds, it felt like forever as she frantically wracked her brain for a response. Meanwhile Steve stared unfocused at the wall, her presence forgotten as the vivid memory of Bucky’s final scream replayed in his mind. He remembered how it had gotten quieter with distance, echoing hauntingly around the valley despite the loud grinding of the train against the tracks. The same haunting echo that plagued his dreams at night. A hand resting over his own pulled him out of his misery briefly.

 

“It’s awful that you had to go through that...I can’t imagine what that must be like.” She felt that was an adequate response but curiosity gnawed at her insides, a question burning inside her. “But, if you don’t mind me asking, how...are you still alive? I mean, all these years later?”

 

A breathy chuckle yet the sadness in his eyes prevailed.

 

“Guess I left out a pretty important part, huh? Well, we had shut down all of Hydra’s strongholds except one where they were storing weapons of mass destruction. When we got there, there was a plane loaded with weapons headed for the U.S.” He paused, trying to think of a way to explain an outlandish story to someone who had no knowledge of the Tesseract or its importance. This was how it had been with him lately too whenever someone mentioned a 21st century thing that he had yet to familiarise himself with. It felt nice to be on the opposite side of it for once.

 

“To put it as simply as I can, something went down between the captain of the aircraft and I, then he disappeared. There was no way I could land the plane without the weapons detonating so I crash-landed into the Arctic.”

 

Her eyes never once left his face, brow slightly furrowed as she tried to put two and two together to figure out how he still looked like a fresh-faced, buff thirty-something-year-old.

 

“Next thing ya know, I wake up almost seventy years later in New York City. My body was preserved in the ice in the Arctic and due to the enhancements from the serum, it gave me the capability to survive. Jeez, just saying that out loud makes me realise just how insane all of this is.”

 

“You’re telling me” she mumbled, overwhelmed by this new-found information and he laughed good-naturedly.

 

“It’s a lot to talk in alright” he drawled, nodding slowly in agreement. 

 

Katarina was well aware that she was part of a ridiculously good-looking team but Steve was intimidatingly handsome up close. Even before the serum, he was a looker - although judging from his back story, not many girls in the thirties thought the same. But the serum had undeniably enhanced his looks - his face was all high cheekbones and sharpened jaws complete with a perfectly sloped nose. His baby blue eyes sparkled now instead of the dull, milky look that came with ill health and poor sight. However, he still had dark circles under his eyes but having heard all that he had endured, she supposed he’d had more than a few sleepless nights since waking up in this century. Overcome with a wave of empathy and sadness, she found herself wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. When she felt him stiffen at her touch, she gathered that it probably wasn’t the most appropriate social reaction and quickly removed her arms from his body.

 

“Thank you for telling me,” she paused before she added “Captain”.

 

“You don’t have to call me Captain,” he said as a bashful grin crept across his face. “Maybe you can tell me your story some time.”

 

At that she stood but Steve still watched her with a glimmer of hope as she headed for the door. After opening it, her hand stilled on the handle and she glanced over her shoulder at him.

 

“Maybe.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took a little longer than expected! let me know what you think - kudos and comment and all the jazz. I love reading feedback!
> 
> follow me on tumblr: hawkinstarks.tumblr.com


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